TBR Challenge: Her Man to Remember

I feel pretty good about the results of Keishon's August TBR challenge, which was to read series books. Yesterday I finished Suzanne McMinn's Her Man to Remember, which turned out to be a great book to end the month on.

1. Title/Author
Her Man to Remember by Suzanne McMinn.

2. Brief Synopsis
More than a year after his wife's death, Roman tries to come to terms with the memory of his wife by returning to Florida, where they went for their honeymoon. Instead of getting a peaceful resolution, Roman sees a woman who looks like his wife, Leah. She has Leah's scar and wears Leah's bracelet. She is Leah. But she doesn't remember Roman.

3. Copyright Year
2004.

4. Indicate if you liked or disliked it?
I loved it: 4.5 out of 5. I enjoy a good amnesia story, and this was one of the best I've read in a while. There was plenty of suspense in the story, but I loved how the focus stayed on Leah and Roman. Sometimes with romantic suspense, writers focus more on the suspense. My preference is for more romance than suspense, and Her Man to Remember offers just the mix I like.

5. Was the book designated a DIK or Five Heart book at any of the review sites?
I didn't find a review of it at AAR or TRR.

6. Do you agree or disagree with the reviewers?
Not applicable.

7. Is this a new author for you?
No, I've read a few other books by McMinn.

8. Would you read more by this author?
Yes, and I have six or seven more on my TBR shelves.

The September challenge is listed as simply fiction. Perhaps I'll interpret that as chick lit and read a few of the ones I have waiting to be read.

TBR Challenge: To Hold an Eagle

I've been reading some series books lately, in part because they are the subject of this month's TBR challenge hosted by Keishon. I have at least a dozen of Justine Davis's books that I haven't read, so I thought I'd read one.

1. Title/Author
To Hold an Eagle by Justine Davis.

2. Brief Synopsis
Linc Reese is out in his boat when he sees a woman in the water. He rescues her, but instead of being grateful, she struggles against him and eventually turns a gun on him. Eventually, Linc learns that she is running from someone who wants her dead, which brings out his protective instincts.

3. Copyright Year
1993.

4. Indicate if you liked or disliked it?
I like it, though it's not one of Davis's best: 3.5 out of 5. I thought there was a little too much emphasis on how emotionally beaten down Chandra was, although it resulted in a nice ending. There was also a little too much conversation in the middle. It slowed the story down.

5. Was the book designated a DIK or Five Heart book at any of the review sites?
I'm not sure.

6. Do you agree or disagree with the reviewers?
Not applicable. As a side note, though, because this didn't affect my rating, the woman on the cover looks like she's in her early teens. Chandra is supposed to be small and delicate, but I think putting the model in a different dress would have made her look less like jail bait.

7. Is this a new author for you?
No. I've read several of her books, and I have several more books TBR.

8. Would you read more by this author?
Yes.

A Breath Away

This morning, I finished A Breath Away by Rita Herron, another of my RWA signing books. I had been tempted by it several times in the bookstore because of its cover, which I think is terrific. The cover is perhaps the best part of the book, however: 3 out of 5.

Violet and Darlene were best friends as children. Darlene was murdered when the girls were eight. Violet had visions about what was happening to Darlene and where her body could be found. Shortly after Darlene's death, Violet's father sent her away to live with her grandmother.

Fast forward 20 years. Violet learns that her father is dead and supposedly committed suicide. Her grandmother wants Violet to return to the town to find out what really happened. Once there, Violet sees Darlene's brother, Grady, for the first time in years. She is attracted to him but thinks he hates her because her father left a note stating that he (her father) was the one who killed Darlene.

The romance in this book is less successful than the suspense plot. Violet feels guilty because Darlene left her house to visit Violet. Violet also feels like she should have stopped the murder. Grady was five years older than the girls and feels equally guilty. His father insisted that Grady should have protected Darlene. Against this backdrop of guilt, it's difficult to believe that the two fall in love.

I also wondered that they would be carrying so much guilt so long after the events. I believed that they would both be changed because of what happened to them, but Violet virtually stopped living. She never had a relationship with a man, and she feels like she doesn't deserve to be happy. I wanted to tell her to find a good therapist, fast.

The story jumps from Grady, to Violet, to at least half a dozen other townspeople. This helped the reader get to know the suspects, but it shifted the focus from Violet and Grady, which added to the unbelievable romance. Plus, you don't get enough of one person to feel like you know him or her. I became frustrated with each changed point of view.

The ending was strong. I was intrigued by the way the suspense story wrapped up--I was thrown off by one of the red herrings--and I thought the romantic ending was appropriate. Make that the very end of the romantic ending. There's another conflict after the danger is past, and it struck me as forced under the circumstances.

So, A Breath Away was an OK read, probably not something I would read again. But I still like the cover.

Fighting the Blahs

I haven't had much interest in anything lately. It's probably because I'm unhappy at work, and I'm trying to decide what I really want to do. I miss the days (long, long past) when I knew what I wanted to do. At that time, it was get a Ph.D. and teach college literature courses. I realized that wasn't for me partway through getting my Master's degree. Since then, I haven't really known what I wanted to do. I wouldn't say I've been floundering since then, since there are certainly times I swim laps quite well and other times I tread water skillfully. For the past several months, though, I've been floundering.

It's affected the blog too, I suspect, mainly because I've been doing a lot of thinking instead of blogging.

Here's something a little peculiar. I still haven't read the latest Harry Potter book. I realized that I'm still wary from book five, which I thought could have used more editing. Also, when I started reading that book and heard that someone died in it, I thought, "Just don't let it be Sirius or Dumbledore." Given what happened in book five, I don't have a good track record, and it's one more reason I'm reluctant to read book six. And please, don't tell me if I'm right or wrong about who dies in book six. That will surely make me even more hesitant.

My coworker assures me that this one is much better than book five, but I still haven't been in the mood to read it. I've picked it up a few times but put it down without reading a word. At this rate, book seven may be out before I actually read it. Which might not be such a bad thing.

Truth is, I have plenty of other books to choose from. I have so many books waiting to be read that it's become almost discouraging. Right now, I'm reading Rita Herron's A Breath Away. I'll blog about it once I'm finished.

I'm off to a work party this afternoon. My sister works for the same company I do, and we're taking advantage of the opportunity to hang out together.

Happy reading!

Men at Work

I'm slowly working my way through the books I bought at the RWA signing. My TBR list was big before that event, but it's completely unmanageable now. Yikes. In any case, I read Men at Work by Janelle Denison, Nina Bangs, and MaryJanice Davidson. I picked this one up because it was the one book by Denison that I didn't already have. Hers was the best story in the anthology; the others were interesting but not especially memorable: 3.5 out of 5.

"Slow Hands" by Janelle Denison is a coming home story that really works. So often in these stories, one character leaves the small town to go to the big city. That's what happens in this case; Tess Monroe heads to Atlanta for college, leaving Morgan Kane behind. What makes this story work is why she does it. Tess's mother died when she was young, so she was raised by her grandmother. The grandmother is the one who encouraged her to move to a big city and create a career for herself. She tried it, isn't convinced she likes it, and is in a place of transition. When the story opens, her grandmother has died and she returns home, thinking that she will get the house fixed and sold.

Morgan and Tess are still very attracted to each other, and they decide to have a fling while she's in town. So, I liked the characters and loved their chemistry. I also liked Tess's decision at the end. I thought it really fit who she was. "Slow Hands": 4.5 out of 5.

Nina Bangs writes the next story, "Color Me Wicked." In this story, two people are brought together to decorate a house. These two people, Amanda Harcourt and Con Maguire, have a history similar to the couple in Denison's story. Amanda left to go to New York City; Con planned to go with her but broke up with her before she left. Now, Con admits that he didn't have the money to go.

While I liked Amanda and Con, I wasn't as fond of the paranormal parts of the story. There's a matchmaking woman who "gets off on emotional turmoil" so she brings together couples with little in common and watches the resulting chaos. There's a mind-reading cat whose thoughts Con can hear. There are plants who perk up when people have sex near them. The result is that I enjoyed the story when it focused on Con and Amanda, and not so much when the matchmaker, mind-reading cat, and voyeristic plants were in the picture: 3.5 out of 5.

MaryJanice Davidson's "The Fixer-Upper" completes the anthology. I have a mixed response to her books. I love her Undead series. I've liked some of her contemporaries and really disliked others. As for my feelings about this story . . . well, let's start with a quick summary. Cathy Wyth moves into her new house and finds that her next door neighbor, while gorgeous, is a jerk. One day she comes home to find him replacing a light bulb for her, even though she told him not to. She startles him, which results in his getting an electric shock and falling off the ladder. When he comes to, he is a new man.

I liked Cathy. I didn't like her friend so much, since she was constantly pushing Cathy to have sex with the neighbor. I liked the neighbor, once he woke up. I'm about to include some spoilers here. If you want to read them, click at the beginning of the white space, then scroll over it to the end of the white space. Spoilers begin: The neighbor, Ken, dies when he falls off the ladder. Jack, a ghost who lived in Cathy's house, then inhabits Ken's body. So, we've got ghost Jack in neighbor Ken's body. So, OK, I can take this. It's different, but I try to work with it.

But then we learn that Ken's spirit is still hanging around. I'm not sure whether he is hanging around the house or his former body, but either way seemed creepy. So he's dead but not really dead? There's no real answer to this, other then the fact that Cathy and Jack believe that Ken will eventually "just fade away." I find this somewhat disturbing. If he's not dead, is it fair for Jack to inhabit Ken's body because Ken is a creep? Spoilers end. "The Fixer Upper": 2.5 out of 5.

So, Men at Work ended up being like many anthologies, with one great story, one good story, and one not-so-good story.

Blog Book

This site allows you to download text from a blog to create a book:

http://www.blogbinders.com/default.asp

The idea is fascinating and brilliant. I have occasionally thought about printing off pages of my blog just for fun, so this book idea appeals to me.

Drawback: Images are deleted from the file.

I'll let you know if I decide to try it.

Quiz

My Romancing the Blog column has received one comment so far. Here are my guesses about the reason.

• The column was so exquisitely expressed that there is nothing left to add.


• Readers are so busy nodding in agreement that they can't add a comment.


• Everyone is suffering from blog boredom, and my boring column simply pushed readers over the edge.


• Readers are refusing to comment in protest of my lack of blog updates.

Any guesses? I'm not soliciting comments, really. I have already decided my first guess is correct. Ha ha! But perhaps I should have gone into more detail about the other thing Roy does with one hand in Contact . . .

If it's actually the last guess, then I apologize. Really! I have a number of writing projects on my plate that aren't work related, so I've been doing those in the evening. I hope one day soon to have a normal schedule again.

Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Mo

I haven't been blogging, but I did get my Romancing the Blog column finished. First, I wrote one column, then decided I didn't want to address this topic now. I've set it aside and will likely use it later. Then, I got halfway through writing a second one and realized it wasn't really coming together. I wasn't feeling passionate about the topic. It led me to another idea, though, so I wrote a third column, and this is the one I'm using. It goes online tomorrow.

Miscellaneous

A few bits of miscellaneous news:

• I never heard from the person who originally won my last contest, and she didn't leave an e-mail address. I have therefore picked a new winner: Robyn! Robyn will receive an autographed copy of Eloisa James's Much Ado about You. Congratulations, Robyn!
• Ellen Fisher explained how to activate a blogger feature where people must enter a series of numbers to make a comment. I have followed the steps and hope that this will foil the spam I've been getting recently. Thanks, Ellen!
• I'm cutting it close on my Romancing the Blog column . . . OK, I just checked the schedule and I'm not in as much trouble as I thought. My next column is scheduled for Thursday, so I have a little time to play with the idea I've started working with. We'll see how it goes.

More book posts will follow.

TBR Challenge: A Dash of Temptation

I really haven't fallen off the face of the earth. This week has been quite hectic with a trip out of town and other interesting adventures. I also seem to have caught the blog blahs that have been going around. In any case, I have done some reading, and I'm pleased I finally have a minute to blog about it.

Keishon's TBR challenge for August is series books. I have plenty of them, so I easily met this challenge and hope to read a few more, too.

1. Title/Author
A Dash of Temptation by Jo Leigh.

2. Brief Synopsis
When famous Dash Black overhears Tess Norton telling a friend about needing a date for an upcoming party, he decides to step in and help out. This is a dream come true for Tess, who has been attracted to him since he hired her to care for his plants. Tess wants to attend the party to find someone to finance her plant business. She didn't expect to find herself dating Dash, but that's exactly what happens.

3. Copyright Year
2003.

4. Indicate if you liked or disliked it?
I really enjoyed it: 4 out of 5.

5. Was the book designated a DIK or Five Heart book at any of the review sites?
I didn't read any reviews before reading the book.

6. Do you agree or disagree with the reviewers?
This isn't really applicable. As I mentioned, I liked it quite a bit. It was fun to immerse myself in the fantasy of dating a celebrity you admire and discovering that you are a perfect match for each other. I just had to keep telling myself not to think of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes while I read.

7. Is this a new author for you?
No. In fact, I have several more books TBR.

8. Would you read more by this author?
Of course. First, though, I have to come up with a topic for my next Romancing the Blog column. This is not a good time for writer's block.

I Want to Be a Vampire

Gena Showalter is having a contest on her blog. She will draw one name from her e-mail list, and that person will have a character named after her. She's also naming a character after the person who refers the most people to her e-mail list. So, if you have any interest in her books, please consider signing up (just click here and scroll to the bottom of the page) and giving her my name when you confirm your desire to join the list so I can be a vampire. Or something.

On a completely different topic, is it possible to fail as a homeowner? I've killed my lawn and will probably have to get a new one. This morning my toilet was flushing endlessly until I mentioned it to my sister when she picked me up for work. She fixed it for me, yay! A few of the vinyl tiles (I use the word "tile" loosely) in the kitchen are coming up. Note to self: Look for book about home maintenance while home is still standing.

My Answers and Contest Winner

Wow, so many people entered my latest contest! I'm pleased to announce a winner, whose name was drawn by my coworker. The winner is . . .

Robyn!

Congrats, Robyn! You've won an autographed copy of Eloisa James's Much Ado about You!

And now, here are my answers. Would I . . .

• Date a younger man? Yes, but I prefer older men. Still, I wouldn't say no to a younger man unless he was considerably younger. Or just immature.


• Relocate for a job? Geez, this is a tough one. I would have a tough time doing it, but depending on the offer, I wouldn't rule it out.


• Do high school over again with the knowledge you have now? You couldn't pay me to go back to high school, even with the knowledge I've gained since then.


• Adopt a child if money were no object? Yes, if there were a man in the picture, too. I don't want to be a single parent.


• Abandon your responsibilities to travel? While I'd enjoy traveling, I'm very much a homebody and would have a hard time with constant traveling. Abandoning my responsibilities would be a tough one for me, too.


• Go back five years in time if you could and do things differently? Yes. There are definitely some things I'd do over.


• Delete your blog? Sorry, Maili, I didn't mean to hit a nerve. I won't say never, but I can't imagine a reason I would do this deliberately.


• Find a job in an entirely new field? Yes. I don't know what one, though.


• Marry someone you didn't love? My initial response is to say no, so I'll go with it.

Thanks again to everyone for participating!

I've Been Discovered

And not in a good way, I'm afraid. I'm starting to get spam comments, and while I'm trying to see them as a compliment, it's not working. I'm just annoyed. If it persists, I may limit comments to those with Blogger profiles. I don't want to do that, but I also don't want to be deleting stupid spam comments every day. If I remember correctly, you can have a Blogger profile without having a blog.

If you have other suggestions, please let me know.

Back Away from the Computer

I found myself a bit depressed last night, perhaps because I've watched eight episodes of Millenium in the past two days. In 2000, I watched a marathon of the series and was fascinated by several of the episodes. I found a used copy (How's that for irony? Keep reading.) of the first season on Friday and settled in to watch. I'm still fascinated, although I'm thinking I might need to spread out my viewing for my emotional health.

This morning I settled in front of the computer to catch up on blogs. Angie has a column for Romancing the Blog about trading e-books. It's an intriguing topic and excellent column. Unfortuntely, I got frustrated with one of the responses. Here's what I replied.

Interesting column, Angie. Especially since I've started reading e-books this last year and can relate to many of the points you bring up. I wish there were a way to trade e-books, but I can understand the issue's complexities, since, as Elizabeth points out, you can trade an e-book and still have a copy.

A few comments about the comments.

To assume that every person who read a loaned or resold book would have bought it or paid the full price is to assume a great deal.

Thank you, Elizabeth, for bringing up this point. Many readers, myself included, frequent the library, especially for books or authors they haven't tried before. I do the same thing with used books or books I have borrow from friends. In fact, there are several authors whose books I now buy new because I once bought them used: Michele Albert, Mary Balogh, Karen Harbaugh, Jill Shalvis, to name a few.

An author may wish I had always bought her books new, but I suspect she'd prefer I buy some books new than none at all, which is what would happen with many readers like me if we stopped buying used books. If I had all the money in the world to spend on books, I'd be happy to buy all new ones. Since I don't, I would stick with my autobuy authors if told I had to buy new.

Obviously I have strong feelings about this issue.

(Edited part of my response for length)

It is unethical to resell print books as well as ebooks. It is still the same concept. . . . Technically, you are not just trading paper vs. bits, you are trading a story that a person put blood, sweat and tears into so he or she can make a living.

Doesn't this same logic apply to anything you buy? House, clothing, jewelry, cars?

I understand authors who feel strongly about wanting people to buy their books new. I really do. But it's one thing for an author to say she'd like readers to buy books new and another to say it's unethical to sell a book. (I'm talking print books, not e-books now.)

Anyone else who thinks it's unethical, do let me know. I'll make sure I never buy your books used. If you're lucky, my book budget may stretch to cover buying it new. If not . . . well, take comfort in knowing you won't be one of those soon-to-be-autobuy authors I discover through used copies.

As I said, I understand why some authors feel strongly about this issue. I feel just as strongly about the fact that I discover many authors through used books that I would never buy new first. Period. There's a simple reason for this: finances. Surprisingly enough, there are limits to how much I can spend on books if I want to eat and pay my mortgage.

What I don't understand is why an author would say it's unethical, even if that's what she believes. Some things are obviously unethical, but buying and selling used books isn't one of those things. Using a word like that can alienate your audience, also known as the book-buying public. I suspect that's why there are a number of "anonymous author" comments on the subject.

I don't do a lot of experimenting when I buy new books. I used to, but I got burned too many times. However, you'll see that I bought books from new-to-me authors at the literacy signing. If I like a library book I read, I buy a new copy. And as I've already mentioned, I've bought books by several authors that I first bought used.

As you can see, I'm getting all worked up about this, which is a problem. And I'm hijacking the comments away from Angie's topic. So I'm going to back away from the computer, nice and slow.

Maybe I should go make lunch and watch a few more episodes of Millenium.



P.S. Would I have bought the first season of Millenium if I'd had to buy it new? No. But I'm probably going to buy the second season. Damn it.

Kinja Quirks

I've got a contest going. Click here to enter.

Now that I've used Kinja for a while to keep track of my favorite blogs, I've noticed a few quirks.

• It has problems with some blogs. It doesn't seem to like Graymatter blogs, so there are a few author's blogs I have to visit instead of just going through Kinja. It doesn't recognize Laurie's blog at all; I get an error message when I try to add it. And a few blogs are listed as favorites but the entries don't come through for some reason. Case in point, Rosario, Rosario, wherefore art thou, Rosario? None of this is a problem with the individual blog. I think it's just Kinja. I get around this by making mental notes to visit certain blogs the old-fashioned way: clicking on them.


• Kinja has two modes for showing posts: expanded and collapsed. I use collapsed; otherwise it lumps blog entries by the same author together, which would take a while to go through. But I also end up missing a few blog entries--when someone posts more than once in a day, for instance.


• In addition, I've now noticed that people don't update their blogs as often as I'd like. Get to it, people! LOL!

I guess the last one isn't a Kinja quirk.

Would You?

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what I want and what I would do if I weren't too afraid, too cautious, etc. Some things I would do; others I wouldn't. It's provided food for thought, anyway. Here's a list for you.

Would you:

• Date a younger man?


• Relocate for a job?


• Do high school over again with the knowledge you have now?


• Adopt a child if money were no object?


• Abandon your responsibilities to travel?


• Go back five years in time if you could and do things differently?


• Delete your blog?


• Find a job in an entirely new field?


• Marry someone you didn't love?

So, what are your answers? Post them here, and I'll enter you in a contest for an autographed copy of Much Ado about You by Eloisa James. (If you want to respond but don't want to be entered, just mention that in your comments.) I'll draw a winner (and post my answers) on August 15.

Gypsy Heart

Gypsy Heart is the first book I've read by Sasha White, and it's a good one: 4 out of 5.

Sable is immediately drawn to Gage when he walks into the place where she tends bar. But Sable isn't interested in a permanent relationship, while Gage has decided that's just what he wants. But he can't deny wanting Sable.

There's a lot to like about Gypsy Heart. I like Sable's unique occupation (even though her name, Sable Castle, is a bit dramatic) and I appreciate the fact that she knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it. I also enjoyed watching her transformation. At first she is baffled that Gage won't immediately start an affair since she knows he is attracted to her. She's thrown off balance by Gage's desire to get to know who she is.

Gage is equally interesting. I loved watching him wrestle with his lust and with his desire for more from Sable. Their scenes together are both hot and moving. He's sweet, sexy, and sigh-worthy.

The story slowed down a bit for me--not because of a plot issue, but because my internal editor kept stopping at sentences that needed commas. Still, I enjoyed the unique story and plan to see what else White has written.

Why Me?

This is not a post in which I will complain about my life, although I do have a few complaints. LOL! Why Me? is actually the title of a book by Treva Harte, which I bought after Jay pointed out the 7%-off sale at Loose ID. I loved the premise, and the story started great, but it ended up being an average read: 3 out of 5.

Cassie is startled when she starts hearing voices with ominous warnings about a man who is in danger. Since this has never happened to her before, Cassie is unsure about what to do. She cleans houses for a living, and she hears the voice again when she is cleaning the house of a sexy client, Wynn. Eventually, she realizes that it's his voice she's hearing, and he needs her to help him.

Why Me? is a romantic suspense novel with an intriguing premise--two people who can read each other's thoughts. I thought the idea was terrific, and I enjoyed the excerpt. The first several chapters are fast-paced and engaging, as Cassie tries to figure out what she is experiencing.

I expected the love scenes to have a little extra punch since Wynn and Cassie could read each other's minds. That didn't turn out to be the case. They weren't bad, but I felt like the mind-reading aspect could have been played up far more than it was. It seemed like the reader was told rather than shown about the extra connection this added to their lovemaking.

A conflict about marriage crops up toward the end of the book. This part seems disconnected from the rest of the story and is drawn out too long for my liking. In the end, Why Me? ended up being a mixed read.

TBR Challenge: Mr. Impossible

Historical romance was the subgenre in last month's TBR challenge, and I am belatedly posting the results.

1. Title/Author
Mr. Impossible by Loretta Chase

2. Brief Synopsis
When Daphne Pembroke's brother is kidnapped, she turns to Rupert Carsington for help finding him and getting him back. She will provide the brain and Rupert the brawn. At first, she is frustrated with his apparent unthinking nature. But the more time they spend together, the more she realizes there is more to him and the more they are attracted to each other.

3. Copyright Year
2005

4. Indicate if you liked or disliked it?
I really enjoyed it: 4 out of 5.

5. Was the book designated a DIK or Five Heart book at any of the review sites?
Yes. It received an A from AAR and five hearts from The Romance Reader.

6. Do you agree or disagree with the reviewers?
I am planning to keep the book, and I will probably reread it. I believe both reviewers mention that Rupert is attracted to Daphne's mind, and I liked this aspect very much. It didn't quite make it into five-heart status for me, but it was still an excellent book.

7. Is this a new author for you?
No.

8. Would you read more by this author?
Absolutely. I have a few more books by Loretta Chase TBR as well.

August's challenge: series romance. I have lots of these on my shelves, so I should be able to read a number of them. Although it's always interesting that I'm never in the mood for whatever subgenre is the subject of that month's challenge. Haven't figured out why.

The Marriage Bed

Laura Lee Guhrke's The Marriage Bed is a book that seems to elicit strong emotions from readers. In the reviews and blog entries I've seen, readers either like or hate it. I was planning to buy it before I heard all of the talk about it since Guhrke is one of my autobuy authors. This is yet another book I bought at the literacy signing. As for what I thought about the book, I fall firmly in the liking category: 4 out of 5.

Viola and her husband John have been estranged for eight years. The separation began when Viola learned that John had kept a mistress while they were courting, even after he told Viola that he loved her. After a month of waiting for Viola's anger to abate, John turned to another woman and continued to do so. Now they live apart; they don't even attend the same society parties.

Things change when John's cousin and cousin's son die. John had been resigned to the fact that his cousin would inherit his estate. Now, however, the only remaining heir is an unthinkable choice. Now John must convince Viola to reconcile so they can conceive a son who would inherit. After an eight-year separation, this is no easy feat.

The first part of the book is the biggest challenge. The pragmatic matter of needing an heir forces quick action on John's part, but it still seems rather cold, especially when he continually mentions that, as her husband, he can force her to return to him. I definitely sympathized with Viola, who was confronted with her husband's infidelity on several occasions.

The book got better as it continued. I enjoyed reading about the way the couple got to know each other. I almost said "again," but they are really getting to know each other the first time. Guhrke is to be applauded for making two imperfect people and making them interesting characters. And for creating a unique love story.

The Marriage Bed is my least favorite of the three latest books (His Every Kiss is my favorite, followed by Guilty Pleasures), but it's still a worthwhile read.

Author Giveaways

One of my nieces is here today and tomorrow while her parents are celebrating their anniversary. She is asleep at last, and I plan to follow shortly. But I wanted to post this blog entry, written while she was scrapbooking earlier this afternoon.

At last, I have pictures of the giveaways I received in Reno. Jaynie will be happy to see these (if she gets back online any time soon).

Bookmarks
Bookmarks are an obvious author giveaway, and I received a large number of them. The variety is great. I collect bookmarks. Now I think it's safe to say I don't need any more. Here are the ones I received.



The black one from Mary Balogh (see lower right corner) is one of my new favorites. I also like the ones that include upcoming book covers.

Cover Flats and Excerpts
I'm now getting quite a collection of cover flats, although I have to admit I'm not sure what to do with them. I think I'm going to put them in page protectors and start an album.



I also received several excerpts, which I really love. I like getting and reading them.

Other Fun Stuff
I received a lot of other fun stuff. Pens are one of my favorites, and I got a few of them. I also love magnets and am pleased to add some new ones to my collection.



I received several unique items that went along with a particular book or author. When I wrote about the literacy signing, I mentioned a few freebies, like the small mirror from Susan Squires, which is pretty cool since her latest book, The Companion, is about vampires. Then there's the small bed charm I got from Laura Lee Guhrke, whose latest book is titled The Marriage Bed.

I like the flower from Lori Devoti, which matches her website. I don't typically wear pins, but I like the ones I received. I'm thinking of getting a lanyard for them. Janelle Denison provided a great goodie bag with a keychain, excerpt, notepad, magnet, and pen. I also got some postcards and temporary tattoos.

While I like all of the giveaways, the pens and magnets are my favorites. The book-related giveaways are great, too. All of it was free, though, so I can't complain about any of it. It was one more nice aspect of the signing.

Jay, You're in Big Trouble

Jay is in big trouble.

First, she posted about some online bookstores she likes. So I wandered over to Book Closeouts and bought three books. Do I need more books? After my trip to Reno, I don't think I'll run out of books for two years. Ack!

Then, she posted that Loose ID is having a sale. So now I'm reading excerpts and seeing if there is anything I'd like.

Finally, I headed back to Jay's blog to tell her how vexed I was that she was helping spend my money. And what happens? Her blog thinks I'm a spammer!

Sorry Spammer! Your comment could not be submitted due to questionable content.

Her blog wouldn't even let me rebuke her for enabling my shopping spree. Sob! LOL!



P.S. I don't really hate you, Jay, but please don't post more links for a while.

Passion

Lisa Valdez's Passion is another book I bought at the literacy signing. It's getting considerable buzz at review sites and blogs, so I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did: 4 out of 5.

Mark and Passion (named by her father after Passion Sunday, when she was born) meet at Crystal Palace. They feel an instant attraction, and their first encounter results in steamy sex behind a large screen. While the attraction is initially physical, they continue to meet behind the screen. With each encounter, their feelings deepen.

As others have mentioned, I thought it was pretty incredible that Passion and Mark could have sex behind a screen in such a busy place without being noticed. There's also one sex scene where I thought, ouch. But it's a compliment to Valdez's skill that I was able to get past these moments and enjoy the fantasy.

There are many sex scenes, they are explicit, and they start early in the book. Readers who prefer more vague descriptions should be warned. I liked the fact that the sex reflects the evolving relationship; it didn't feel gratuitous. Passion is an engrossing read with a nice love story at the center.

Awaken Me Darkly

I wanted to read Gena Showalter's Awaken Me Darkly once I saw the cover (yes, sometimes I do judge a book by its cover), so I bought it at the literacy signing in Reno. I started it while I was waiting to board the flight home and finished it the next day. I'm so glad I bought it, because it was an exceptional read: 4.5 out of 5.

Mia Snow is an alien huntress with the Alien Investigation and Removal (AIR) agency. In her world, aliens and humans coexist, not always peacefully. Mia is responsible to track and kill rogue aliens who prey on humans. Her beloved brother was killed by aliens, a fact that reinforces her negative feelings about them. Now Mia is trying to find out who killed several men. That search leads her to Lilla en Arr and her brother, Kyrin.

Mia feels a tangible link to Kyrin and, to a lesser extent, Lilla. But she will use every means at her disposal to find out who is killing people, especially when her partner is gravely injured.

Reading Awaken Me Darkly is like stepping into a fascinating world. Mia kicks serious ass, some of it Kyrin's, in this book. Thankfully, one of Kyrin's gifts is an ability to heal quickly. While I understood her dedication to her job and her frustration, I thought she went too far at moments when she fought Kyrin. As for Kyrin, he's a wonderful hero. I just adored him.

The book leaves a few things unclear at the end, which is understandable as this is part of a series. I am excited for the next installment.

Meeting Jo Leigh and Coming Home

Quote of the Day:
My cell phone rings while I'm in the hotel bathroom.
Woman in another stall: "Better answer. It could be your editor."
Loud laughter follows.

Saturday was my last day in Reno, and I was ready to come home. I was up early, and since I had half a million books I was very happy for valet parking that day. The morning had me back in the Hilton lobby, then in their mail center to send two boxes home. I ran into Suzanne McMinn right after dropping off the boxes, when I was sweaty and red-faced from being outside and lugging 54 pounds of books around. She said I looked tired, which was no surprise. LOL! According to UPS tracking, the boxes will arrive tomorrow. I definitely have some fun reading to look forward to. I will also take pictures of the author goodies I got at the literacy signing. (Be patient, especially you, Jaynie!)

The phone call was from Jo Leigh, and I called her back after lunch at the time she suggested. We agreed to meet at the coffee shop in the hotel lobby. Bless her heart, it was Jo's wedding day. She got married that morning but still made time to meet me. I told her I felt bad about the timing, but she insisted that she was pleased to meet me. She looked beautiful (below) and so happy.



It turns out that the hotel had messed up, so she hadn't gotten the phone message I left the day before. We sat down and talked for about half an hour. She told me about the wedding, and then she talked a little about the books I brought for her to sign. She mentioned that the man on the cover of The One Who Got Away was absolutely not who she was picturing. She wanted a man with two lips, she said. Her recent Nightwatch will be her last continuity series. She said that this one was very challenging to write. She received many letters after Truth or Dare from women with disabilities, and she appreciated their words very much.

I also met her husband, who ran to the table and covered her face with kisses. It was so sweet! I thanked her again for meeting with me.

After this meeting, I went to the airport for the flight home. The flight itself is only an hour, which turned out to be a good thing. I ended up seated next to a man who really needed 1-1/2 seats. Since I'm no lightweight myself, we ended up squashed together. Between feeling claustrophobic and overpowered by the man's cologne, I had a miserable flight. There were moments when I really wondered if I would be sick. Thankfully, that didn't happen, but I was so glad when I got back on solid ground again.

It was nice to be home, especially since my new air conditioning system works beautifully. Now I just need a vacation to recover from my vacation.

Paperback Exchange

I love visiting used bookstores (UBS) when I'm in a new place. Before coming to Reno, I printed directions to a UBS called Paperback Exchange. They had a great selection of books but a convoluted trading system. Each book is marked with a number. If a number was marked with a 5, it would be multiplied by .40 for the price, so it was $2.00.

You can save money by bringing books in. If you brought in a book they deemed a 6, you would get half of that for credit. So, if you wanted to buy books that totaled 30, and you brought in books that totaled 10, you would have 5 deducted from 30, for a total of 25. Then that number would be multiplied by 40, for a total of $10.00. It kind of made my head hurt to think about it. Of course, this also means there is a possibility of getting books for free, depending on how many you bring in. That doesn't seem right, either. Perhaps they have something in place to prevent that. I'm not familiar enough to say.

Anyway, even though I had brought 31 books with me (plus 23 for Jill Shalvis, 5 for Suzanne McMinn, and 9 for Jo Leigh) and had bought 39 at the signing, I apparently didn't have enough books, because I left the bookstore with another 10 or so. As I mentioned, the selection was excellent. I found a couple of books I've been trying to find for a while.

The bad thing, though, is that they mark the books with a permanent marker. So, every book I bought has a 5 or a 9 (or whatever) in black permanent marker written on the top of the book. It's not on the spine, but on the pages. I'm sure this is easier than using a sticker or writing in pencil on the inside front cover, but it's frustrating nonetheless. It amazes me that a bookstore would want to permanently mark the books like that. But maybe it's just me.

The used bookstores I frequent are quite a bit different. There are two, but both operate in similar ways. They add up the cover prices of the books you bring in, then give a certain percentage for credit. I think it's 70% at one and 75% at another. For books you buy, the full cover price is deducted from the credit, then you pay a set price for each book. One bookstore offers new and collectible books for 1/2 price; another charges 1/2 price for new books and sets individual prices for collectible books.

How does your used bookstore work?

Rendezvous in Reno

Rendezvous in Reno was the Friday night event with Suzanne Brockmann. It was essentially a mini Target Tampa event, just packed into a few hours. Shortly after I arrived, those who had ordered Breaking Point through Suzanne's virtual signing got in line to pick up the book and have it signed. I was pleasantly surprised that she recognized me from Tampa, and she wrote a really nice inscription in my book.

Then it was time for dinner. There was a diverse group at my table. Although most people were authors, there were a few readers. Two people were from Canada, two others from Minnesota, two from Las Vegas, and two from Louisiana (although I might be remembering the last incorrectly). This was just at my table. There were about 100 people there altogether.

Between dinner and dessert I found Catherine Mann and got her latest book, Code of Honor, which I had ordered through her cyber signing. She was great. Like Suz, she recognized me and said how nice it was to see me.

After dinner came a Q&A session. Here are the main things I learned:

• Her next book is slated for January 2007. After talking to her in Tampa, I knew that she was taking a few months off, but this date surprised me. More than a few people gasped at this piece of news.


• She is in talks with Bantam to have some of her Loveswept books reprinted. That will be good news for a number of people.


• She's not telling what her next book will be about. However, she thinks she will return to Team 16 for it.


• She is exploring a limited-edition miniseries of her Team 16 books. She's in talks about it right now.

Then came a repeat of the skit from Target Tampa. There were some additions. In Tampa, the skit ended with Gone Too Far, but this one went through Hot Target. I had seen most of it before, but it was still fun. Catherine Mann and her husband, Robb, played Alyssa and Sam. Virginia Kantra did a hilarious portrayal of Jane from Hot Target. The cast is pictured below.



Prize drawings came next. Everyone received 10 tickets, and Eric and Suz just started picking numbers out of a box. I ended up winning twice! The first time, I was excited to win while there was a copy of Suz's Loveswept, Forbidden, still available. It's one of very few of her books I didn't have. The second time, I selected a Troubleshooters magnet. I'm a magnet junkie, and it will be a nice addition to my collection.

After the drawing, I got back in line to have Suzanne sign Forbidden, along with the two other books I brought with me: Hero Under Cover and Hawken's Heart. As always, Suz was very nice. She asked how I was doing and said that she wished she had more time to talk to us. She also posed for a picture (below).



After talking to Suz, I moved down the table. Virginia Kantra had copies of a Silhouette Intimate Moments title called Stolen Memory, so I bought it. I've never read her work, but I've heard good things, so I decided to try it. Afterward, it was about 11:00 AM, and I was ready for bed. I drove back to my hotel and crashed.

Rendezvouz in Reno was a fun event, well worth the cost of attending. I think it was $40. It sounds like she will have a weekend event this fall in Boston. I will probably not be able to attend, but I encourage anyone who is considering it to go.

Thursday and Friday

I was still in Reno on Thursday and Friday. Both days I did a lot of sitting around in the Hilton hotel lobby. On Thursday, I ran into Jill Shalvis, and we made plans to meet on Friday. Thursday afternoon, I went back to my hotel, took a nap, then started reading Passion by Lisa Valdez, which I enjoyed very much. I'll post a review in the next few days.

On Friday, I met Jill in the hotel bowling alley (see picture below). It was so great to talk to her. For one thing, I do much better in one-on-one conversations than I do in group situations. In addition, we were able to talk without the distractions of a signing. Well, she was distracted by the pile of books I brought for her to sign, but that's different. :)



After spending half an hour with Jill, I called Wendy and spent most of the afternoon with her (see picture below). We chatted about books, and I went with her to a publisher signing and got even more books.



During the signing, I ran into Suzanne McMinn, and she signed the books I brought with me. She teased me about not being able to count when she saw that I had six of her books instead of five. Then I told her that I found a sixth book at a local used bookstore. Between the books I brought with me, the books I got at the literacy signing, and the books from the publisher signing, I mailed two boxes of books home.

Next topic: Rendezvous in Reno.

Still to come: Reno used bookstore, author giveaways (be patient; I need to get my boxes so I can take pictures and do justice to this topic), meeting Jo Leigh, and coming home.